US woman gets 16 years for running fake university

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – A San Francisco woman was sentenced to more than 16 years in prison for running what prosecutors said was a sham university that served as a front for an immigration scam.

Susan Xiao-Ping Su, founder and president of the phony Tri-Valley University, was accused of charging hundreds of foreigners, mostly In-dian nationals, tuition and other payments for visa-related documents that allowed them to live and work in the US while she purported that they were here legally to study.

She made more than US$5.6 million and used the money to buy com-mercial real estate, a Mercedes Benz and multiple homes, including one at a golf club, federal prosecutors said Monday.

US District Court Judge Jon S Tigar sentenced Su, 44, on Friday after she was convicted in March of visa fraud and other charges. She was

also ordered to forfeit $5.6 million and pay more than $900,000 in res-titution to two companies that processed payments from students, au-thorities said.